Tis the season for jetting off to an exotic location with a partner, for some R&R and renewed libido.
However, many couples report that plans for a sizzling bedroom holiday often turn to laziness and lack of motivation once they’re off enjoying the sights.
Here are Lady Friday’s top tips for a holiday neither of you will forget in a hurry…
Change your routine.
Holidays are times to go with the flow of your libido, not to be constrained by schedules or alarm clocks.
The key is to adapt your holiday time so you both feel in the mood for love, and relax your at-home conventions (9pm every time, just before brushing your teeth? No such restrictions here).
If your partner’s a maniac for 8am starts to beat the queues, plan for an afternoon in. Tour all evening? Get intimate at lunchtime.
Staying in bed in the mornings, which is when the female libido often runs high, is a vacation plus – if you can both wake up in time.
Be well-rested but not tired out.
Often the problem is over-stimulation and exhaustion. Spending a day madly running around a city or doing activities, plus clubbing and nightlife, may mean you’re both dead to the world by bedtime.
Libidos thrive on relaxation and many kinds of pleasure, so slow down enough to still be excited while not losing all your energy.
It’s important to discuss this with your partner rather than just trying to manipulate the pace of things, so nobody sulks about ‘missing out’ – but a few hints about the rewards in store for a slightly slower day will fire you both up.
Ease up on alcohol.
Often the temptation on holiday is to let loose completely – and that includes in the bar. However, stop short before going overboard – alcohol isn’t the greatest thing for bedroom performance for either gender.
Hangovers wreak havoc on the mornings, and drunkenness tends to have a disastrous effect on the levels of testosterone in men, meaning their ability to pleasure anybody crashes.
Don’t abstain completely – a little relaxation and release of inhibitions is also good for the bedroom – but be wary of the holiday trap of over-indulging, for the sake of your pleasure later.
Do some naughty shopping.
One of the best parts of exploring a cosmopolitan city? Indulging in some very X-rated retail therapy.
Many guides now exist for the express purpose of guiding you and your partner around the hottest, most exclusive erotic stores in the world. It’s a perfect way to wind down while heating up – even if you don’t buy anything.
It’s also a chance to step into another persona, separate to your ‘home’ one – feel free to experiment and take risks you wouldn’t normally take.
Barcelona, New York, Paris and Shanghai are all fantastic destinations for alluring emporiums. Try things on, browse the toys, do some giggly exploration of the back rooms.
If you’re brave, research clubs to display your new purchases – Berlin’s Kit Kat Club is famous for that purpose.
Buying isn’t necessary – just don’t annoy other shoppers or loudly make fun of the merchandise.
Spend time reconnecting.
This sounds like new age silliness, but it’s a genuine boost to the bedroom connection of couples if they spend more time touching one another, playing, and being familiar with one another’s bodies.
Take the opportunity of a relaxed holiday setting to reinstate cuddling, tickling, teasing and back massages.
A day spent absorbing the sights while not simultaneously absorbing one another may not be the best move for intimacy later, so get affectionate when appropriate.
Always know the rules.
Indulging in PDAs or more risque behaviour on holiday is common – but make sure you respect the rules of the country and don’t get carried away.
Muslim countries require a more conservative standard of dress and behaviour, and in many countries, particularly those with a big religious community, getting down in public – if you’re discovered – is a criminal offence.
Note the rules of any establishment you’re in – if a spa requires no touching each other, don’t touch, and don’t go nude or topless on beaches where that’s frowned upon. Do the research before getting dirty and you’ll have no problems.
Lady Friday xx
Taking the pillow talk out of the bedroom, every Friday…